Council holds strategic planning session in Jasper

Grande Prairie council returned to the city earlier this week after discussing ways to improve the budget.

Council travelled to Jasper for their strategic planning session. The goal was to set council’s direction and priorities “that will influence the Priority Based Budgeting process and ultimately direct the budget planning for the next four years”, a City release noted.

Council highlighted service in the organization, safety, the economy, economic development, infrastructure, community building and governance as areas they wanted to look at.

“We wanted to describe how we saw those issues so that all of us on this relatively new council had a clear understanding of what we meant in those areas but also just as importantly so our management had a clear understanding what council wanted to see,” said Mayor Bill Given.

“The reason that’s important is because it’s going to influence the Priority Based Budgeting process that we’re developing which would influence the services and programs that the city staff deliver and will ultimately show up, once council approves the 2019 budget this coming fall.”

The process was imposed to ensure the city’s operations are in line with community values.

Council also identified priorities they have moving forward discussing inter-municipal collaboration, frameworks, the impending implementation of cannabis, human resource management within the City, and public engagement.

“This city council, our management team and the entire rest of the organization will have a unified perspective on how we’re going to approach these issues and all the other ones that might arise over the course of our four year term,” said Given.

They also want to increase their capacity as elected officials by making sure they’re asking good questions on a regular basis and increase their critical thinking skills, said Given.

“We did some work in those areas and my expectation is that council members will apply those skills on an ongoing basis at council meetings and committee meetings.”

The trip gave the municipality the chance to talk with Jasper council and to share issues of mutual concern. Some of the topics were development, revenue from the province, connecting both communities via Highway 40, and other things.

“Highway improvements and twining is something that’s very important to council. Jasper council related that it’s very important to them that it’s easy for people from Grande Prairie to get to Jasper for their local economy,” said Given.

“We also discussed Grande Prairie Regional College. GPRC of course, aside of their operations here in our city, also has a learning centre in Jasper. We discussed the future development of the college and shared the announcement of the college getting the university status.”

GPRC and Jasper council are working to create a culinary institute in Jasper. The two councils discussed ways they could promote it.

As they look towards the next four years, Given shared his enthusiasm about the new council.

“I am so pleased with our new council in terms of the diversity that we have, in terms of the perspectives that people bring to the table and experiences they have but enthusiasm and energy that they’re bringing. Each person on our council is fully committed to ensuring that we have a successful organization and doing that in a way that demonstrates that ultimately each of us we’re elected individually but for the course of these four years, we are together as a team and that comes through loud and clear with every member of council.”